Dial support for a cylinder and dial knitting machine



Jan. 27, 1970 l.. MlsHcoN 3,491,556

DIAL SUPPORT FOR A CYLINDER AND DIAL KNITTINGMACHINE /y 1NVENTOR.

Lesfer Mishcon Jaun.l 27, 1970 l.. wwwv 3,491,556

DIAL SUPPORT FOR A vCYLINDER AND DIAL KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 11. 1967 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVENTOR. Lester ishcon WITNESS M A TTORNE Y United States Patent O 3,491,556 DIAL SUPPORT FOR A CYLINDER AND DIAL KNI'ITING MACHINE Lester Mishcon, Miami Beach, Fla., assignor to The Singer Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Apr. 11, 1967, Ser. No. 630,096 Int. Cl. D041: 9/06 U.S. Cl.. 66-19 1 Claim ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A cylinder and dial knitting machine is described having a dial drive that features a stable mount therefor, and easy viewability of the inside face of tubular cloth being knit by the machine. The mount is in essence a pair of concentric large diameter cylindrical members, with the inside face of one member bearing against the outer face of the other member. By opening the tops and bottoms of the cylindrical members, the tubular cloth may be viewed through the dial.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates generally to a cylinder and dial knitting machine, and in particular to the manner in which the dial is supported for rotation in unison with the needle cylinder of the machine. While indicated in the environment of a machine with a cylinder and dial that is rotatable in relation to stationary respective cams, the invention is practicable also with such machine where the cylinder and dial are held stationary and where the cams are supported for relative rotation.

Description of the prior art A dial for a large diameter knitting machine is a generally disc-shaped massive structure. For its rotation, a shaft-like member usually extends upwardly from, and along the central axis of, the dial, the shaft-like member being ultimately supported for rotation in a journal bearing. Typical of such supports are those shown in U.S. Patents Nos. 864,496 and 3,222,889 (FIG. 7). Because of the massiveness and size of the dial in relation to its prior art shaft-like support, vibration and the like of the dial is easily effected, with attendant misalignment of the knitting instrumentalities, and attendantly the constant need for recalibration of the machine in question, to say nothing of damage to the bearing surfaces that support the shaft-like member, resulting from the vibration etc.

Aside from being bothersome from the standpoint of being mechanically less than what might be otherwise desired, such a dial-support arrangement usually prohibits accessability to and viewing of the inner face of the tubular cloth being produced by Ithe machine. To overcome partially this particular shortcoming, the above indicated U.S. iPatent No. 864,496 had early taught the spoking of the dial away from a central shaft supporting hub thereof, whereby, and between which spokes, cloth-viewing would be possible, however, retaining the undesired shaft-like rotary mount fo-r the dial.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a rigid rotary mount, for aknitting machine dial, that prevents vibration or the like of such dial, the mount being in its preferred form arranged to permit easy viewing of the inner face of cloth being produced by the knitting machine. Generally, a cylinder and dial machine accoridng to the invention 3,491,556 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 t. ICC

has a stationary outer ring supported on legs. A first large diameter open ended generally cylindrical member outwardly mounts dial cam sections for cooperation with dial needles, and such first cylindrical member is rigidly secured to uprights on the machine. Sitting within the stationary iirst cylindrical member is a second open ended large diameter cylindrical member, the outer face of the second cylindrical member being in bearing relation to Ithe inner face yof the rst cylindrical member. For best support, the abutting bearing faces should be axially at least three inches. The dial for containing the dial needles secures to and outwardly extends from the second cylindrical member being adapted for cooperation with, and relative rotation with respect to, the dial cam sections. Rotation of the dial is effected by rotating the second cylindrical member by means of gearing.

Because the dial and its circle of cams are not supported along their common axis for relative rotation, but rather are supported near their respective peripheries, a knitting machine according to the invention is barely subject to the above indicated vibration and attendant problems. And because the two cylindrical members of the dial assembly are both open ended, the cloth generated is readily viewable through and by virtue of the dial assembly itself.

A principal object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus for supporting the dial assembly of a cylinder and dial knitting machine.

Another yobject of the invention is to provide a dial assembly and support therefor for a cylinder and dial knitting machine that permits easy viewability of the inner face of tubular cloth made by said machine.

The invention will be described with reference to the Hfigures wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a knitting machine with a dial assembly support according to the invention, such machine being indicated without its yarn stand and associated mechanisms, and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, suitably sectioned, showing the details of construction of the dial assembly support of the machine of FIG. 1.

Referring to the gures, a cylinder and dial knitting machine is shown having an outer ring 10 that is supported on legs 12. The outer ring 10 serves as the main support for the machine and is provided with a pair of recesses that form annular shoulders 14, 16. The shoulder 14 supports a ring gear 18 for relative rotation with respect to the outer ring 10, the ring gear riding in bearing relationship to the shoulder 14. Mounted atop the shoulder 16 of the outer ring 10, and secured thereto by means of screws 20, is a cam retaining ring 22, such retaining ring 22 together with the outer ring 10 providing a raceway for containing an annular flange 23 of the ring gear 18.

A slotted needle cylinder 24 having cylinder needles 26 is secured to the innermost edge 28 of the ring gear 18 -by means of screws 30. Enmeshed with the teeth of the ring gear 18 is a pinion gear 32 secured to a shaft 34, the shaft being mounted for rotation in journal bearings 36. The shaft 34 mounts an input gear 38 that gets driven through a shaft 40 (see FIG. 1) by means not shown. Seated on the cam retaining ring 22, and secured thereto by means of screws 42, are cams sections 44, the sections 44 together providing stationary raceways for the butts 46 of the cylinder needles 26 as such needles are relatively rotatably carried by the needle cylinder 24 in response to the rotary drive of the ring gear 18.

The dial assembly is separately assembled for later inclusion with the machine indicated in the gures.

A ring member 48 with a generally L-shaped crosssection, which member 48 has a cylindrical inner wall 50, is provided with first and second annular shoulders 52, 54. A slotted dial 56, adapted to contain dial needles 57 and being provided with an inner annular flange 58, is placed to rest on the shoulder 52 in bearing relationship; and the L-shaped member 48 is provided with threads 60. A main support ring 62 for the dial assembly mounts a threaded ring 64 by means of screws 66, and the inner diameter of the support ring 62 is suiciently large with respect to the cylindrical -face 68 of the L- shaped member 48 to allow the support ring 62 to slide onto the member 48 so that the threads of the ring 64 may engage with the threads 60 of the member 48. A dial drive member 70 having a ring gear 72 attached thereto by means of spokes 74 is provided with a cylindrical outer bearing Wall 76 and an annular flange piece 78, the dial drive member 70 being open ended and nestled within the sleeve of the L-shaped member 48, with the cylindrical faces 50, 76 being in bearing relationship. A llat ring 80 joins the dial 56 to its drive member 70 by means of bolts 82, 84, and dial cam sections 86 are secured by bolts 88 to the shoulder 54 of the L-shaped member 48.

Rotation of the main support ring 62 and its threaded ring 64 on the threads 60 o-f, and with respect to, the L-shaped member 48 has the effect raising and lowering, as the case may be, the dial drive member 70 along the axis of the machine, and attendantly the dial 56 is positionable along the axis of the machine with respect to its associated cam sections 86 for adjustment purposes.

After the dial assembly has been so assembled, it is placed on the machine as indicated in FIG. l, with the main support ring 62 for the dial assembly being suspended above the outer ring by means of flanges 90. The lilanges 90 are each provided with an aperture 92 through which an upright 94 may slide for adjustably positioning the dial assembly with respect to the needle cylinder 24 and its associated parts. Once the dial assembly is properly in place on its uprights 94, bolts 96 are set firmly to preserve such placing.

Enmeshing with the gear 38 and driven by means of the sha-ft is a gear 98, such gear 98 being at one end of a vertical shaft 99 supported for rotation by the machine in a collar 100. A -pinion gear 102 at the other end of the shaft 99 is adapted to mesh with the ring gear 72 for driving the dial 56 in unison of the needle cylinder 24.

As can be readily appreciated, the two cylindrical rotary bearing faces 50, 76, being well removed radially from the axis of the machine, and accordingly well supported iirmly on flanges 90, prohibit virtually all tipping or flexing of the dial; and attendantly misalignment Q f knitting instrumentalities and the constant need for machine calibration are obviated. By opening the ends of the dial drive member the inner face of tubular cloth made by the machine of FIG. 1 is viewable by means of and through the dial assembly, whereas in the prior art the dial assembly directly contributed to the inaccessability of the cloth being knit.

While the invention has been described in its preferred form it is to be understood that the words which have been used are Words of description rather than of limitation, and that changes Within the purview of the appended claim may be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A dial support for a cylinder and dial independent needle knitting machine comprising a rst member having an inner cylindrical Wall and at least one annularly arranged shoulder, a ring of cam sections secured to said shoulder, a slotted dial so adapted to ride rotatably with respect to said cam sections that the butts of dial needles may coact with said cam sections, the radial dimensions of said inner cylindrical wall and said dial approximating each other, a second member having a cylindrical outer Wall adapted for bearing relationship with the inner wall of said first member, and means for securing said dial to said second member for rotation therewith, the second member being topped with an outwardly projecting annular ange and the first member having a generally cylindrical threaded outer portion, said dial support including an adjustable support ring threaded onto said threaded outer portion of said first member and adapted for contacting the underside of said annular ange.

' References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,012,966 12/1911 Ballard 66--28 1,216,900 2/1917 Wildman 66-28 XR 1,321,647 11/1919 Montagne 66-28 3,181,312 5/1965 Felker 66-28 FOREIGN PATENTS 988,755 4/ 1965 Great Britain.

WM. CARTER REYNOLDS, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 66--28 

